R Mason, Deceased
by organanation
Summary: Della joins Perry in Portland after the sudden death of his father. Much hurt/comfort fluff ensues.
1. Chapter 1

_AN: Hello, PerryxDella fans! I'm back with lots of plotless hurt/comfort...I am a sucker for some good hurt/comfort..._

_Before we begin, thank you to everyone who wished me happy birthday last week! I am loving 22 so far (yes, that's real)._

_On with the show!_

Della looked around the crowded airport terminal, searching for Perry. It hadn't been the original plan for her to come, but when Robert Mason had passed away suddenly, Della had known that Perry needed her there, whether he was going to admit it or not. She'd packed a bag and hopped on the next flight for Portland the moment he mentioned that he wished she were with him.

She didn't see the broad chest and steely gaze she was looking for, but she did see the piercing blue eyes inset into a woman's face—not exactly known, but not unfamiliar. The woman noticed Della's study of her and came over.

"Della Street?" Her voice, while quiet, had the same unwavering quality that Perry's had. Della nodded. "I'm Perry's sister, Olivia."

"Nice to meet you," Della greeted, trying to hide her disappointment at Perry not being here to greet her.

"I'm certain Perry wished he could've collected you himself, but he and my other brother are meeting with the executor of Father's estate," Olivia explained, leading Della out to the parking lot.

"I understand. I'm sure he felt his presence was necessary to make sure no one was being railroaded," Della teased.

"You do know our Perry," Olivia smiled. She opened the trunk of the car and hoisted Della's suitcase into it.

"I've worked with him for long enough," Della laughed.

"I'm glad we're finally getting the chance to meet you," Olivia admitted, sliding in behind the wheel. "To be honest, we figured he'd be bringing you along as his wife long before this."

Della blushed. "Counsel has been talking out of court?"

"Not exactly. I've known my brother for a very long time. Perry may be the lawyer in the family, but we all have eyes. He's been a mess since he got here. The only time he ever smiles is when he's on the telephone with you. And the way his face lit up when you agreed to come…I'm glad he has you."

Della couldn't help but smile.

"Perry and I have become very close over the past few years…I guess I'd say he's my best friend," she admitted, somehow feeling just as at ease with Olivia as she was with Perry.

"Our parents were always a little worried about him. Our oldest brother, Robert…he's always been successful. Went to business school, got married, now he's got three children and the family business. I've never been lonely, either. My fiancé and I met in college. I was studying to be a journalist and I've even published a few pieces in regional magazines. But Perry…well, he's always been so serious. So quiet. Never took time to relax, hardly ever had friends. He never dated in high school. When he moved to LA, Mother and Father were convinced he'd work and work and never meet anyone that didn't come to him for legal advice," Olivia explained.

Della wondered if Perry's family knew they'd met at the university law library while he was studying for the bar and she was studying to become a confidential secretary at the business school across the street.

"Perry's certainly one of a kind," Della agreed. "Is he—are all of you—doing alright? I know this was very sudden."

"We're doing as well as could be expected," Olivia excused, turning off the highway and onto a more rural route. "We're all dealing with it in our own way. Robert's trying to keep a brave face. He's the man of the family now. Same thing when Mother died a few years ago; he's doing his best to keep things moving forward. I can tell, though, how broken up he is. He and Father were thick as thieves sometimes. And Perry? Who can ever tell with him?" Olivia was quiet for a moment, looking over to Della when they stopped at an intersection. "Something tells me you always know what Perry's thinking."

She was a perceptive woman.

"Our friend, Paul, calls it voodoo."

Olivia reached across the seat and laid a hand on Della's arm. "Thank you for being for him. When Mother died, Father held our family together. Robert's trying his best, but he's got a family of his own, and the business…I have my friends and Dan, my fiancé, close by. Perry needs someone, even though he'd never admit it...at least, not to us."

Della covered Olivia's hand. "I wouldn't be anywhere else."

Olivia turned up a long, tree-shaded driveway. The house they stopped in front of was made of dark wood and reminded Della of the cabin that Perry would rent in the mountains back in LA. Della took her bag from the trunk.

"I've got an apartment in town and Robert and Marie have their home a few doors down. Perry's the only one staying here at night. I'm sure you can sort out the sleeping arrangements," she said carefully. Della nodded. She was sure, no matter where her bag ended up, that she'd be sleeping beside Perry. Neither of them slept right in an empty bed, not anymore.

An air of sadness hung around the house. Flowers filled the entry hall, all gifts from friends.

A door down the hall clicked open and Della heard men's voices. A short man wearing a wool coat and a hat was the first to appear. He carried a leather briefcase and had the same placating smile that all the other estate attorneys she knew had. Then came a taller, sunnier version of Perry. He was smiling jovially, as if this were merely a Sunday afternoon social call.

Finally, the counselor himself appeared. She saw the moment when he noticed her presence: a barely perceptible shift in his posture, a lightening in the tightness of his forehead.

The brothers shook hands with the executor and Olivia saw him to the door. Perry came over to greet her, giving her a weary smile that didn't reach his eyes as his hand squeezed her arm and slid to her elbow as usual.

"Robert, this is Della Street. Della has been my secretary since I started my practice, and she's become a very dear friend.

Della smiled at Perry's brother, who shook her hand warmly.

"Robert Mason, Junior. My wife, Marie, is in the kitchen getting some sandwiches together for a late lunch. Our rugrats are out in the woods somewhere. It's a pleasure to meet you, Della. Perry's told us quite a bit about you."

"Only the terrible things," Perry teased her. Della chuckled. It was good to see he hadn't lost his will to banter with her. Perry's hand found her arm as normal and guided her toward the back of the house, Robert right behind.

Through a cozy dining room was a warm kitchen. A pleasant-looking blonde woman was standing at the counter, slicing sandwiches into triangles.

"Marie, this is Della, Perry's gal Friday," Robert introduced.

"Great to meet you," she said with a smile. "Alright, everybody, eat up. Robert, get the children?" she requested, walking over to a playpen, lifting a baby from it and setting her in a high chair beside the counter.

The Mason men liked efficiency, Della thought, smiling to herself.

Two children ran in from the backyard, a boy and a girl.

"Eat up, everyone," Marie pushed again. "We've got places to be."


	2. Chapter 2

Perry's family left around ten that night. After their late lunch, they'd gone to see the preacher who'd be performing the graveside service. It had been odd to sit beside Perry in a meeting and not be taking notes or looking for signs of deception.

After a light supper, Olivia had pulled out old photo albums to be set out at the wake. The whole family sat around the fireplace in the spacious living room, looking through the old books. It had been interesting to see Perry around his family. He'd been silent most of the day, but that wasn't entirely out of the ordinary for him. He occasionally teased Olivia much in the same way Paul teased Della. Familiar, sarcastic, but teeming with affection.

He came off as very relaxed, no tie or jacket and his collar open a few buttons. Della could feel it in his posture, though, as he sat beside her. Like he felt as unknown and out of place here as she was. Trying to imagine him growing up in this house...it wasn't an image she could quickly conjure. He was far too straight-laced to have grown up with Robert's bad sense of humor and Olivia's flash-pan temper. She'd pictured him sitting quietly with a book. Somehow, that didn't fit with the hustle and bustle toward which this household seemed inclined.

Robert and Marie were the first to leave, each parent carrying a slumbering child as the third trailed sleepily behind, holding his father's hand as they walked home.

Olivia and Dan left soon after.

Della made a pot of tea and they sat on the porch steps, looking up at the stars.

"It's so clear up here. So quiet," Della said in a whisper so as not to disturb their surroundings.

"Bit different from home, eh?" he chuckled, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She settled against him, leaning her head beneath his chin. He finally relaxed-truly relaxed, as he hadn't been all day. Della smiled a bit to think that it was her presence-and her presence alone-that brought him this peace.

They were silent again, each taking in the comfort of togetherness.

"Hey, sleepy. First room at the top of the stairs," he directed when she started yawning.

"Are you coming too?" she asked, standing. She had no intention of letting him stay awake all night, lost in thought.

"Just have to lock up."

Her bag was in the closet where two of Perry's suits were hanging on the rail. She set out a few of her things and hung her dresses beside Perry's clothes. He came in a moment later and closed the door.

"I know now why you're so good at teasing me. You've had plenty of practice with your sister," Della kidded, closing the closet door snuggly.

"That may be true, but there are definitely some things I do with you that I'd never do with Olivia," he replied, drawing her in for their first real kiss since she'd arrived.

"Your family is lovely, Perry," she complimented.

He nodded. "They're a fine bunch. Makes me wonder where I came from," he chuckled.

Della shook her head. He definitely didn't fit in with his family. There had been an underlying tension, which she assumed stemmed from Perry's decision to leave home and had kept him in LA indefinitely.

She changed out of her dress into a nightgown and beckoned Perry onto the bed with her. He kicked his shoes off and stretched out beside her. She guided his head onto her lap and began brushing her fingers through the hair on his temples.

"How have things been at the office?"

"Quiet. Jackson's been handling things as they come in. Gertie's been busy with the mid-year mailing."

"Paul keeping busy?"

Della smiled. "He made a date for every night last week because he knew you wouldn't interrupt."

Perry smiled briefly. He was quiet for a moment and Della looked into his weary face.

"You know you can tell me anything," she reminded quietly.

"I don't even have the words," he admitted. "Thank you for coming here."

"I wouldn't be anywhere else.

00

Della had always been an early riser. She always beat Perry out of bed in the morning unless he pulled her back under the covers and convinced her to stay a while.

The house was quiet and chilly as she pulled on her robe and slippers, tucking the covers over Perry.

She started coffee and toast, knowing Perry would want some when he woke up. The backyard, visible through the large kitchen window, was filled with trees and looked the perfect place for children to run around and play.

Her shoulders met his broad chest as he wrapped her up in his arms.

"Good morning," she murmured, smiling. "Sleep alright?"

"I always sleep better next to you," he murmured. Not teasing, not flirting, merely a statement of a fact. Somehow, it was an even sweeter sentiment like that. She rested her head against his shoulder, happy to soak up the quiet with him. He kissed her cheek before reaching for the coffee.

Perry slouched against the counter and pulled Della to lean against him.

"I could get used to mornings like this," Della murmured, pressing her forehead into his neck. He smelled of his sandalwood aftershave with a hint of her peony perfume. It was the way their bed smelled in LA, and she was happy to be back in his arms instead of holding his pillow close.

"Mhm," he agreed, feeding his hand between Della's robe and nightgown to rub her back.

Oliva pushed open the back door and swallowed a smile upon finding her brother in such a domestic mood.

"Oh, good. Coffee," she said, pouring herself a cup while Perry and Della straightened themselves out

"I'll just be a minute," Della excused herself.

"Just your secretary, my foot," Olivia muttered into her cup.

00

Della stood beside him. The day was gray and dreary, matching the mood of the gathered crowd. Marie was on his other side, between Perry and his brother. Robert's two older children held hands just past their father, taking in the solemn affair with wide blue eyes. Their baby sister was sleeping in Marie's arms. Beyond Della was Olivia, and beside her, Dan, her fiance. A few cousins and an uncle stood on the other side of the casket.

The service was small, as his father had requested. Robert had eulogized his namesake and now the preacher was going through the customary 'ashes to ashes' tomes.

Perry and his father hadn't seen eye to eye on much of anything, but deep down, Perry knew that his acute sense of justice and desire to protect what was right came from the man lying in the box just in front of him.

Robert Mason, Senior hadn't been happy in the least about his youngest son's decision to leave the family business and their small town, but in his father's desk drawer, Perry had found a box of newspaper clippings that chronicled his own rise to notoriety.

It wasn't a loss he'd feel acutely, but it was a loss nonetheless. He took Della's gloved hand tightly in his. She moved marginally closer, wrapping her other hand around his arm. As the sexton began lowering the casket into the earth, Perry brought his arm fully around Della and hid his face against her felt hat.

The sexton took up his shovel and Perry released his grip. Della kissed Perry's cheek before walking away. Marie, Danny, and Della stood watching their lovers gather around their father's grave as dirt was shoveled in.

00

After the funeral, Perry called Jackson to check in. The young man reported that things were quiet, almost unusually so. Perhaps the heat, he suggested, was causing people to stay inside and not kill each other. Perry agreed to stay on for a few extra days to help his siblings clear their father's personal effects from the house so Olivia and Danny could move in after their marriage in the fall-Della had that weekend penciled into her calendar, too, and she'd do everything she had to do to get herself and Perry back on a plane for British Columbia for the blessed event.

They were in the study after everyone else had gone home for the evening. Perry had been unanimously appointed to go through all of Robert and Martha Mason's paperwork to decide what to keep and what to throw away. Della was putting her skills to use, arranging the remaining files into a usable system as Perry sorted through the rest of the room's clutter.

"What should I do with this box? Looks like it's full of newspaper clippings," Della asked. Perry looked up from the books he was flipping through and his features softened.

"Those are about my cases. He sent away for the LA paper every week."

Della smiled and filtered through the yellowing pages. She recognized all the cases in one capacity or another. 'Son of Locals Opens Law Office' read one caption, followed by a short article detailing their move into the Brent Building and the opening of the firm. There was one from the local paper titled 'Local Boy Becomes Big-City Lawyer'. It was dated just after she'd met him, only weeks before they joined one of LA's prestigious law firms. Even further down, the list of his graduating class with his name circled in faded blue ink. She read the circled portion. Perry R. Mason, son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Mason, Sr. will study law in California. Della assumed that would be the bottom of the stack, but an envelope was crushed into the bottom of the box.

Thayer Case, 1938 was written across it in Perry's hand. Inside were bits of paper and pieces of newsprint all referring to one case, Thayer vs. Gleeson.

"I couldn't really say I would be surprised," Della said, bringing the envelope to him, "but were you trying cases as a teenager?"

"Ah, Ruth Thayer," he said distantly, taking the envelope from her and spilling it out on the desk in front of him. "This case was what made me want to become a lawyer. Before that, I wanted to be the sheriff. Fancied myself quite the young detective. I'd have made Tragg proud," he chuckled. "One day, while I was out looking for clues in 'The Case of the Stolen Lunch Box', I overheard an argument between Ms. Thayer and Rudolph Gleeson. It seemed that Ms. Thayer had found herself in the family way and Gleeson wasn't interested in making an honest woman out of her. He beat her up pretty bad later that week and I assume she lost the baby...the DA was all set to prosecute Gleeson for assault and battery, but he hired a lawyer from Toronto to defend him. That man...he could spin answers and ask questions like I'd never seen before. I thought it was magnificent at first...until he started making all the witnesses question their own minds. Even myself." Perry was quiet for a moment as he started at the clippings. '_Gleeson Acquitted, Thayer Found Guilty_!' stared up at them. "I was 16. The sheriff fixed it for me to testify, but that lawyer...he made me second-guess myself. I had made an official statement, and he got me so turned around that it sounded as if I didn't know the truth anymore. My testimony was dismissed as inadmissible."

"And _that_ made you want to be a lawyer?" Della asked skeptically.

"I _knew_ I was right. And I knew a few others, others he'd also mixed up, were right too. In the law, truth should reign. It's the job of the counsel, both the defence and the prosecution, to find the guilty party and see that justice is served. This man...he was trying to win, regardless of what was right or wrong. I know that Burger and I get competitive, but this was different."

Della nodded. "So what happened?"

"Gleeson got off scott-free. In fact, I think they filed for undue hardship and got financial compensation. He moved away not long after. Ruth Thayer went to prison for perjury, obstruction, defamation...a few other charges they trumped up. She died there a few years ago. The lawyer went back to Toronto and retired a very rich man. And I committed myself to becoming a protector of justice. I learned how to do everything he did to me and everyone else on the stand, but I learned how to use it as a weapon of truth instead of deceit."

Della wrapped her arm around his and set her chin on his shoulder.

"You're a good man," she murmured into his ear. "I don't tell you that often enough."

_AN: I warned you, just some plotlessness...I hope you enjoyed it, lack of plot or not! Please leave me a review!_


End file.
